Books

“What are you looking for?” is one of the hardest questions to answer for me as an editor. One of the pleasures of reading is discovering a new place, new people, new stories–and sometimes the ones I would have never thought to “look for” are the ones that I fall most in love with.

I have wide tastes. I adore picture books, especially ones that make me laugh, or make me think “Awww” when I finish them (warm, but not saccharine). I equally love middle grade and teen books. Contemporary, historical, fantasy (though I don’t tend to go for ones with invented languages or names full of apostrophes), urban fantasy/paranormal, mystery, dystopian, sci-fi, literary gems, a good beach read that has sharp wit & lovable characters. If I care about the characters, then I can get into any genre of story. Except maybe horror. Because, I’m not gonna lie, I’m kind of a wimp.

But there are themes and elements that crop up a lot in the books I love. Like, say . . .

Strong, active heroines/heroes

Illustrations that take the words and then go further

Snappy dialogue

Wit

Solid, important friendships

Protagonists who find inner resolve and strength

A twist on the familiar–something that makes me see the world in a way I’d never thought of before

Fairy tale, myth, or folklore retellings (novels more so than picture books) and retellings from the perspective of a minor character in history or a classic story

A story that takes me behind the scenes–whether it’s of art, theatre, music, a sport, a movie set, a theme park, or what-have-you

In picture books, texts that don’t waste a single word

Parents, teachers, or other adults who are real people

In teen, strong romance as a supporting plot thread–a romance that shows a lot of small, imperfect moments along with bigger ones and between two characters who have equal push and pull within it

Characters who go through a spectrum of emotions

Truth

Books that I have edited

Books that I love (but didn’t edit)

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